Nicholas Williams, prosecuting, said Robinson later told police he had planned to commit suicide after killing his wife.

Robinson, a butcher, said he had been stressed for months about his health and wasn’t sleeping properly. He had sought help from his GP.

Recalling the attack, Robinson added: ”I came in like a maniac.”

She woke up and started screaming so he put a cushion or his hand over his wife’s mouth to stop her but she pushed him off and told him to get help.

The court heard Mrs Robinson was covered in blood and confused. She received stitches and stayed one night in hospital.

She didn’t wish to pursue a complaint against her husband but in a victim impact statement said she never had any previous concerns about his behaviour. What he did was out of character and she missed him.

Yesterday Robinson was sent to a psychiatric hospital.

Psychiatrist Dr Tracey Heads told the judge that Robinson had feared he wasn’t going to survive heart surgery and became increasingly desperate and agitated. He was now on anti-depressant and anti-psychotic medication.

John Gibson, defending, said the anxiety had triggered a terrible event. Robinson’s brother had died after a similar operation and the defendant expected his life to be short.

Robinson was described as loving, kind and generous.

Mr Gibson added: “The family is appreciative of the care he’s now receiving.”

Judge Hughes told him: ”For a period of 39 years you were in a happy and caring relationship following your marriage. You had children and grandchildren. They all describe you as someone they would never have expected to do what you did on this particular night.

“It seems at some stage prior to this offence you were told you needed significant heart surgery. It’s now apparent you were suffering from a severe depressive episode.”

The judge said it seemed Robinson was preoccupied with the risks he associated with heart surgery and had been thinking of self-harm for some time.

Ipsoregulated

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